Congo+History+Summary

= History Summary : = During the prehistoric times, **Pygmies were the first people to live in the Congo region**. About 2,000 years ago, **Pygmies, a term applied to a group noted for their short stature**, **were joined by Bantu- speaking people.** T**he people introduced farming. Later, people from the Sudan region brought cattle practices**. Other newcomers brought their knowledge of making iron and copper tools. This knowledge made it possible for people to live in the Congo region. As everyone settled, they had rulers, and some rulers enforced laws. I**n 1956, Kongo People wanted independence immediately.** The Congolese were allowed to elect local city council members and members of the ABAKO to the capital. Most won seats in the capital city of Kinshasa. Belgians tried to stop a political meeting in January 1959, rioting followed. I**n 1960, after waiting for their independence, Congo finally got it. They named the new country, the Republic of Congo, which was established June 30, 1960. Patrice Lumumba was elected prime minister, and Joseph- Desire Mobutu, was chosen as head of military.** Mobutu led for thirty more years. **He left the country in deep poverty. Many people were unhappy with Mobutu.** He had allowed foreign investors into the country to profit off of its resources.He led the economy into a complete mess, and fights between the nation's ethnic groups grew too. By 1990, Mobutu's popularity was failing. And to keep foreign leaders happy, he vowed to bring democracy to Congo. I**n May 1997, Mobutu stepped down and Kabila renamed the country the Democratic Republic of Congo.** Many people had high hopes for him but were disappointed. His policies did little to end the fighting and stop the poverty. There were a lot of battles on the eastern part of the region where most of the resources are found. **A Civil war broke out and some fighting groups tried to get rid of Kabila's government.** Uganda and Rwanda supported the fighting groups, while Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe supported the government.
 * In 1482 Portuguese navigators arrived in Kongo.** When the Kongo people met the navigators, they thought that they had been drained of all their color. The Kongo people decided to treat the Portuguese kindly. **Soon later the Portuguese had set up a trade agreement with the Kongo people**. **The Kongo people would supply the Portuguese with their riches, and in return, the Portuguese introduced Christianity to the Kongo people, and later introduced corn, tobacco, and cassava crops.** By 1500 Congo had many complex kingdoms. But also **in the 1500s, The Portuguese concentrated mainly on slave trading**. **Kongo people were then captured, often entire families, to be sold and put to work on plantations. Soon other Europeans became involved with the slave trading. In 1885 Leopold created the Congo Free State. Leopold was the King of Belgium, who had tricked some 450 native Kings to give up their land.** Leopold abused the rights of the Congolese people, and forced them to build roads, roadways, and railroads. Thousands of men, women, and children were forced into hard labor. The Congolese people wee also fed poorly. If they complained hey were tortured or shot. Leopold branched into slave trade and the Congo river became a pipeline for slaves. Leopold saw the Congolese people as just a resource and not an actual human being.
 * To stop the cruelty, in 1908 Belgian parliament voted to annex Congo and to make it a colony. This took Leopold out of control.The Belgians treated the Congolese far less severe, but still made them give a portion of their crops to the government and imposed high taxes.**
 * Congolese troops fought in World War I (1914- 1918). After the war, life was much better for Congo. They had improving health care, education and better paying jobs.**
 * During World War II, Belgium used many of Congo's natural resources. This offered many more Congolese people more jobs. This also allowed Congolese to own land and participate in local politics.**
 * The new country faced many problems.** The economy suffered as many European business owners fled the country. Violent conflicts erupted, the army was weak, and Katanga Province, known as Shaba, threatened to leave Congo and start its own country. In 1965, Kasavubu fired Lumumba, and Mobutu took complete control of the country. **Congo became Zaire in 1971. He also changed his own name to Mobutu Sese Seko.**
 * In the early 1990s fighting broke out between Rwanda and Uganda. Millions of refugees had fled to Congo to escape the violence and bloodshed in their homelands.** Most of the refugees, **nearly 900,000 of them, choose or were forced to return to their home in 1996.About 200,000 refugees were never accounted** before, and many believe that they were killed by forces in Congo.
 * In 2001 Kabila was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. His son Joseph replaced him as president. He has shown more willingness to try to end the fighting.** The war was declared over in December 2002. **A peace agreement was reached in September 2002. The fighting still continued**. Hundreds of civilians were killed in ethnic conflicts in April 2003. Fighting was still going on in 2008. **In 2009 the military launched a joint operation against the rebel troops.** Most people agree that a lasting peace will be hard to achieve.